TORONTO - Dave Barr has a rule about video meetings: players must leave the room feeling good about themselves.

"I don’t want them feeling like they’re a piece of s---. I don’t want them going, ‘Jesus, f--- me, Dave doesn’t believe in me,’" explained Barr, the colorful San Jose Sharks assistant coach, during a presentation about post-game analysis and analytics at this past weekend's TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.

"What I want them doing is, I want them feeling good. So, I might say, ‘Look at this clip here. Where is your stick?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s in the air.’ ‘Exactly, stick on the ice, stick on the ice.’ And I’ll have another clip ready to go - (from) the game before or maybe that (same game) - and I’ll say, ‘Look at your stick here, look at what happened to the puck, look at what happens in the play. Big difference.’

"We use post-game video a lot of times to support good things. You want that."

The Sharks, still hunting for that elusive first Stanley Cup championship, are returning a similar lineup for the 2018-19 season. They lost the John Tavares sweepstakes, but re-signed some key forwards - Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Chris Tierney, and Tomas Hertl - and will once again contend for the Pacific Division title.

Following his presentation, theScore caught up with Barr - a 57-year-old ex-NHL winger who's been on the coaching payroll for six teams - to talk all things Sharks.

Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

theScore: You mentioned in your presentation that you were originally a skeptic of hockey analytics. How or why were you won over?

Barr: "I think, because of all the work that we do with video, we have a pretty good idea of what’s going on by a game-by-game basis. What I think helps us - how we can use analytics - is that it covers a lot of categories and a lot of things that happen during a game. You might miss an area or two, where it says that we’re doing this very well and we’re not doing this very well. ...

"Say it’s turning pucks over off the forecheck and the other one that you were doing extremely well was breakouts. You want to understand why you’re doing the breakouts well - what you were doing, what was the reason - and why your forecheck was not very effective.

"There’s so many things to cover - especially in the NHL, when you’re playing 82 games and you’re back to back a lot and three games in four nights - so it’s hard to cover every single category. Analytics help us do our jobs better. It’s not the end-be, be-all … whatever the hell that saying is."

theScore: Be-all and end-all.

Barr: "Thank you. Insert that, please!" (laughs and points to recorder)

"(Analytics) is not everything but, at the same time, it certainly helps us. I know it has helped us this (past) year. I run the PK so I use it for penalty kill as well."

theScore: It’s a marriage, right, of video and whatever is being counted.

Barr: "That’s a perfect description."

theScore: Speaking of the penalty kill, Tierney (two-year contract) and Hertl (four-year contract) recently signed deals. You must be happy.

Barr: "They are very cerebral players, very smart players. Two of my better PKers, for sure. Offensively, they’re very good on the PK and at the same time they know where the puck’s going most of the time. Tommy’s a great worker. Chris is a very smart player - knows where to be, where not to be. We’re very fortunate to get them signed and playing for us again."

theScore: What’s the No. 1 skill required for a forward on the PK? Is it good stick work, good positioning?

Barr: "Probably positioning, coupled with stick (work). If you’ve got your stick in there, it doesn’t matter if you’re in position or not. A little bit of it is the ability to get there quickly, get from A to B quickly. If you have slower PK players, especially forwards, they can be three feet short of getting a stick on the puck and all of a sudden that shot or that pass gets through. Quickness is a big element. …

“(Joe) Pavelski is one of our best penalty killers and he’s not a fast player. But, because he knows where to go and how to get there as quick as he can get there, he’s a very effective player.”

theScore: It helps with that great hand-eye coordination. Pavelski can knock pucks out of the air easily.

Barr: “Oh, it’s incredible. He works at it, too. That’s why he can do it: He’s a talented guy who works at it.”

theScore: And he’s a good golfer.

Barr: “He came third! I was watching (the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship) on TV and he had a chance to go into extra holes. Didn’t make the putt, unfortunately.”

theScore: You brought up Justin Braun in your presentation, calling him an underrated NHLer. What is it about his game that people maybe don’t appreciate?

"Watch his body positioning.

"He worms his way into getting here on guys." (Barr reenacted Braun’s ability to maneuver around opponents and gain the inside track.)

"It’s unbelievable. You’ll have position on him, and this guy will figure out a way to get there. Unbelievable."

theScore: Have you ever asked him about that "worming" talent and where it may have originated?

"Oh, I don’t want him to be conscious of that. And he is the nicest kid. He’s a great kid."

theScore: You told a fun story about Jagr in your presentation. Do you have anything to share about Thornton, another beloved veteran?

"I can just tell you that he is one of the most fun, positive, energetic (players around). Every single day he brings energy to the dressing room. The guys love him. At the same time, he holds players accountable in a great fashion.

"He’s honest, straightforward. (He’ll tell players), ‘We need you to be better.’ He’s absolutely fantastic. I’ve got nothing but praise for him."

theScore: There’s a theory out there about Evander Kane and why he’s been such a nice fit in San Jose. Do you think the leadership group welcoming him with open arms has contributed to his success?

"For sure. I think it helped a lot that he felt really good about where he was. Within five-10 games, he was part of the team. He wasn’t the new guy; he was part of the team. He got a lot of minutes playing on the power play, the penalty kill a little bit, tons of minutes at 5-on-5. He made a difference, he scored goals, so that really helped him feel good about himself.

"At the same time, I think we have strong leadership. Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, and Pavelski, for sure. Especially Thornton and Pavelski - their resumes speak for themselves, they come to play every day in practice, they come to play every day in games.

"(Kane) is just a good kid. He’s a good kid who has a little bit of celebrity in him - if you want to call it that - but at the same time there’s nothing wrong with that. He comes to play every day. He’s a real help to our team. … He’s sharp, he gets it."

(Feature photo courtesy: The Coaches Site/F10 Sports Photography)

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TORONTO - Hundreds of coaches from all levels of hockey gathered at Humber College this past weekend for the TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.

The annual two-day event featured a series of presentations from a diverse list of speakers. This year’s headliners included two former NHL head coaches, Senators associate coach Marc Crawford and Oilers assistant coach Glen Gulutzan.

Related - Q&A: Marc Crawford on millennials, Auston Matthews, and the Senators

Here are four takeaways from the conference:

In vogue: Keep the puck, find the middle man

Industry meet-ups can be useful for identifying tactical trends across the NHL.

From an Xs and Os perspective, the study of different offensive zone entries is definitely in vogue. And coaches are almost exclusively promoting creativity over mundane approaches like the dump-and-chase.

Jets assistant coach Todd Woodcroft broke down the importance of puck management and forcing the opposition to make mistakes when hemmed in their own end.

"Hockey, really, it’s not about scoring," Woodcroft said, quoting his boss, Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "Hockey is about creating offensive zone time, offensive zone pressure, and sustaining it."

Upon entry, the puck carrier has a number of viable options. A popular pick: feeding the puck to a teammate streaking through the middle of the ice. Woodcroft noted that some teams - like the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Sharks, Blackhawks, and Jets - are known as "middle drive" clubs, meaning they nearly always attempt to feed that streaker.

Naturally, Woodcroft used Jets winger Patrik Laine to demonstrate this type of entry. Laine, who has 80 goals in 155 NHL games, is exceptional at hustling to the net while a teammate brings the puck into the offensive zone. The Finnish sniper will find the middle lane and prepare for a scoring chance.

Below are a couple of examples of Laine doing his thing. Notice in these two GIFs how Laine keeps his feet moving through transition, presents himself as a pass target, and reacts instantly when the puck enters his orbit:

Laine's signature move may be his wicked shot, but his willingness to make a B-line for the goalmouth is probably underrated. He loves that middle lane.

Woodcroft, who broke into the NHL in 2000 as a video coach for the Minnesota Wild, says the Jets encourage all of their skaters "to take the ice in front of them at all times." If a defenseman happens to be the puck carrier at the offensive blue line, so be it.

"It used to be that the D were told to hold the blue line - your job is to defend," he said of a league-wide trend toward operating in five-man units. "Now we’re seeing how much the D are involved. Guys like Erik Karlsson - not only are they involved in the rush, they’re leading the rush."

Hartsburg an open book to teens

Mental health awareness is another area of the sport - and society, for that matter - gaining traction.

Chris Hartsburg is doing his part to minimize the suck-it-up attitude prevalent inside dressing rooms. The 38-year-old head coach of the OHL’s Erie Otters has no problem telling players about his battle with depression.

"For me, it’s nothing to be afraid of," Hartsburg said in an interview. "There’s not as much stigma towards it anymore and it’s slowly starting to get to the point where everyone is being very open about it. But, you still have the issues where people are either ashamed, afraid, or they don’t know what’s going on, and I think it’s important to have open dialogue about it."

Hartsburg says he was diagnosed with eight concussions during a playing career that plateaued with five pro seasons. The Colorado College alumnus suffered all eight in his mid-20s, but he didn't start suffering from depression until his 30s.

"You’re in a dark place. You don’t feel like getting out of bed," said the son of former NHL head coach Chris Hartsburg. "You just sit there and don’t do anything and, fortunately, my wife was a big turning point for me and helping me feel better about myself. She pushed me to get help, see a therapist, and find the medication that works for me. Those are the types of things that I found worked.

"I can’t control my depression, unfortunately. It’s going to be there and, potentially, it could get worse. I can combat it. I’m active, I did as much as I can to get outside and enjoy the outdoor life. But it wasn’t fun and it’s something that I don’t allow to control me anymore."

Where is the love for goalies?

Steve Briere of the Maple Leafs made a valid point during his presentation outlining a development plan for goalies - North Americans don’t give netminders enough TLC.

Through work trips overseas, the renowned goalie coach has noticed some countries - namely goalie factories Sweden and Finland - place a greater emphasis on building up the position and the people playing it from an early age.

"The No. 1 thing they do is they praise goaltenders," Briere said of Finland, home to NHL starters Pekka Rinne, Tuukka Rask, and Antti Raanta.

Briere feels that parents and coaches in Canada and the U.S. tend to make excuses for why young players shouldn’t be goalies. He constantly hears about kids being too skilled or too tall or too fast to strap on the pads.

Also grinding his gears: "Goalies only try to work on the mental side of the game when they start struggling. The problem with (that strategy is that) it’s too late. You talk to a goalie when he’s struggling and he doesn’t hear half of the things you’re saying to him. OK? So that’s something we need to work on every day."

Briere, as you can imagine, is the ultimate goalie spokesperson.

"Everything I have in my life is from being a goalie. I’m a midget. I’m a short, fat, bald guy from Winnipeg," he said. "I’ve got a masters degree, a beautiful wife, beautiful kids, I’ve been around the world - all from being a goalie. It was the greatest gift I’ve ever been given."

Jagr apparently a man of his word

Finally, an anecdote about the man, the myth, the legend - Jaromir Jagr.

Presenter Dave Barr, who coached the future Hall of Famer in both New Jersey (2013-14, 2014-15) and Florida (2015-16), relayed an amusing story from an undisclosed assistant coach.

"There’s a knock at the door. He’s the closest coach to the door so he goes to the door and it’s Jagr," started Barr, now an assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks.

"Jagr says, 'Tell the (head) coach that I feel great tonight. I feel great, tell the coach I feel great. I get points, I get goals for sure tonight. Tell him!'

"So, he goes, 'OK, I’ll tell him, I’ll tell him.' (Jagr) goes away."

"Coaches meeting is a half hour later and the head coach, at the end, says 'Anybody got anything?' Assistant coach says, 'Yeah,' he goes, 'Jagr came by and said he feels great tonight, can you give him a few extra shifts?' Head coach goes, 'OK, I’ll squeeze him in, I’ll give him a few extra shifts.'

"That game: two and two. Jagr: two goals, two assists. And they win.

"Next game, knock on the door - this is a true story ... same assistant coach goes to the door, opens it, 'I feel good again, I’m telling you I feel great. Tell the coach to play me!'

"He gets three and one.

"So, this goes on for a little bit ...

"Another knock on the door - this is a couple of weeks later now. Assistant coach (thinks it’s) Jagr again. Opens the door, it’s Jagr.

"Jagr says, 'Tell the coach I just got back from Vegas, I feel like s---! Don’t play me too much tonight!'"

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TORONTO - Marc Crawford is at the point in his career where he's game planning to beat teams built by his former players.

The 57-year-old Senators associate coach won a Stanley Cup with Avalanche GM Joe Sakic as his captain. He was the final head coach during Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin's playing career. Crawford also walked the bench behind Kings GM Rob Blake as well as two assistant GMs in Tom Fitzgerald (Devils) and Craig Conroy (Flames).

Which means Crawford - whose NHL coaching resume spans 16 seasons, five teams, and countless outbursts - has been forced to evolve.

"I've lost a lot of jobs because of how I have been and how I have been perceived," Crawford said this past weekend during a presentation about interacting with millennials at the TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.

“This generation,” Crawford added, “really thrives (on) and wants communication. They want interaction, they want a little bit of control over things, and when you meet with people and you talk with people, those sorts of things happen.”

Crawford chatted with theScore on Saturday about millennials, working with Auston Matthews overseas, and his mindset ahead of Senators training camp.

Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

theScore: It feels like millennials and Generation Z’ers get a bad rap. You’re a champion for them. Why?

Crawford: "You have to be. It's your job as a coach to try to be understood, to try and get your message across, and to try and help people get to the next level. I think this generation has a lot of wonderful qualities, and I think it's important that we look at the positive aspects of their personalities or the things that they have been through. They’ve been through a lot.

"I didn’t have to worry about having a cell phone when I was a kid. It was a big thing to sit in the back room of my parents' house and talk on the phone to my girlfriend and say, 'Hey, what are you doing? Hey, how 'ya doing?' That sort of thing. Now they’re texting that to one another (and are hooked on social media). The generations haven't changed a lot, it's just different platforms that they're using.

"These guys have so many new skills. Their ability to multi-task, their ability to accept information is pretty important. I think, for us (coaches), if you can help them with retaining it, if you can help them with coping mechanisms for the sport - how to combat anxiety, how to combat some of the things that maybe we did a little bit more naturally, because we played a lot more in younger generations, whether it be road hockey or whether it be in the backyard, that sort of thing - this group is really good. They're the best-coached generation that I've seen. The skill that they come into the league with now is amazing. And that's a product of them working with skills coaches and a lot of them having a lot of individual attention in their upbringing. Again, I think it's positive. They're more ready for what we're ready to give them than maybe previous generations.”

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

theScore: You have lived two NHL coaching lives ...

Crawford: "Maybe three or four." (laughs)

theScore: Fair. You had a long run, then you spent five years in Europe, four of them coaching in the top Swiss league. What was the biggest change when you returned to the NHL in 2016?

Crawford: "One of the things that changed a lot for me was that when I went to Switzerland I had a smaller staff, just one assistant coach, so I had to do a lot more. That was great for my own personal development - it got me back a little bit more to my roots. But the other thing that was important when I went to Europe was my social group … I didn't have one. I had the players, I had their families, so I started to socialize a lot more with players and their wives. My wife and I did some babysitting for players, that sort of thing. I got to know the hockey people in our organization, too, and that became my social network.

"In the past, when I was coaching in the NHL, I really didn't want to become that close with players, because I was a guy that had to be hard, I was a guy that had to be demanding. I think what I found - and it was a big change for me - is that I really liked the interaction of being around the players. It changed me, because I didn't want to lose that connection that I had with them, I didn't want to lose their trust. So, maybe I started to frame my messages a little bit better - and, really, that's personal growth. I felt the personal growth coming out of Europe was very important, and it's shaped me for dealing with this new culture of players. …

“It is simple common-sense communication that is at the forefront of everything. If you can talk to a person face to face, if you can listen to them as much as you're speaking with them, if you can talk with them and not at them - I think you're getting a platform where players feel comfortable about giving input and I think that's what they want."

theScore: A big part of that Switzerland experience was taking in an 18-year-old Auston Matthews. Now that you’ve seen him develop over the past two years in the NHL, which areas of his game would you say have improved the most?

Crawford: "The NHL forces your team game to become a lot better. Watching him protect the puck - he's taken it from a level where he was very good to a level where you just can't get the puck off him. His ability to understand what to do when he doesn't have the puck is at a higher level. He's always had a great capacity to work, he's always been a guy that is first on the ice and is a tireless worker. He's taken ownership and control of his career from a very early age. He's got great parents. He's very respectful. I love Auston. I feel so fortunate for having been around him for a year and I love seeing the success that he has (earned).

“The night he scored four goals against us in Ottawa, I was secretly cheering for him (laughs). I was so glad when we ended up winning the game in overtime because we got the best of both worlds. Now, his team game and his team understanding has gone to a different level, and his puck-protection skills have gone to a new level from when I had him in Zurich.”

theScore: Matthews has a crafty takeaway move where he lifts the opponent’s stick to steal the puck and transitions into attack mode instantly, avoiding a penalty. Did he have that mentality in Europe?

Crawford: "From a very early age, he's the guy who's had the puck the most. If you watch videos of him as a kid, that was the case. I've seen him play at the U18 level, and at the U20 level. It gets a little harder as you go up, but he was still the best player in Zurich and he was still the guy who had the puck the most.

"In the NHL, it gets that much harder and you see that element taken to a different level. (Mike Babcock's) coaching (promotes) being a real aggressive puck-pursuit guy when you don't have it, and Auston was so ready to hear that information, so ready to employ it. The Leafs have done a great job of taking his game to the next level and there’s way more to come."

theScore: Training camp is coming up in a month and a half. With the current state of the Senators - Erik Karlsson trade rumors, Craig Anderson trade rumors, Randy Lee's legal situation, etc. - what kind of messages can you, head coach Guy Boucher, and the rest of the staff deliver to an unsettled team?

Crawford: "The biggest thing is that we have to improve upon our performance last year. Hockey, it's a great sport because it does have an outcome for every game. Every game you come out and you say, 'Hey, did we do well or did we not do well?' And that's easy, because a lot of businesses don't have that type of scorecard, if you will, or that type of evaluation. The one thing that we're going to try to do is, we want to have the same response whether we win or whether we lose. We want to be a team that is about improving every day.

"As I said in my session today, communication is really at a high level and a high premium. We place a high priority on having good communication with our players and creating the right type of environment where we can have success and focus as a team. Again, we're going to concentrate this year on being great teammates. If we're great teammates then we've got a chance to be a great team. If we're a great team then we're going to have a chance to have results on the scoreboard and everything takes care of itself.

"That’s really our message this year: Let's take care of the things that we can (control), let's make sure we're always being positive and putting our best foot forward and we're trying to do the things that will help us to improve every day.”

(Photo courtesy: The Coaches Site)

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Nathan Oystrick, a retired pro hockey player who skated in more than 500 games, shook behind the podium at Elgar Petersen Arena as he spoke about taking over for a local hero.

"I did not know Darcy Haugan, but, like so many people in this world today, I wish I had," Oystrick said during a news conference July 3, with Haugan's family sitting feet away.

Oystrick added, "I believe in his commitment to not just developing skilled hockey players but to developing great human beings. And I hope that I can make him proud while doing this job."

Haugan, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Humboldt Broncos, died April 6 in the bus crash that also killed 10 players, an assistant coach, an athletic therapist, a broadcaster, a statistician, and their driver.

The Broncos were en route to a playoff game when a semi-trailer truck collided with their bus near Armley, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the prairies.

"I've played in that league for half a year. I played in Humboldt, whether it was hockey or baseball. It definitely hit home," Oystrick, of Regina, told theScore later in July.

"A hockey team on a bus traveling on a road that we've all ridden on thousands and thousands of times in our lives - it definitely struck, hard."

Along with his wife, Lindsay, and their dog, Wiley, Oystrick left Highlands Ranch, Colo. - their home since 2011 - to settle this week in Humboldt, a farming town of fewer than 6,000 whose name now resonates across Canada and beyond.

The GM-coach role Oystrick has assumed is heavy - perhaps the heaviest such role in all of hockey right now. It's a job in sports that, at the same time, is not about sports at all.

The position's multi-layered responsibilities require investment, honesty, and compassion from a certain type of person: somebody who's not only triumphed but failed, too; somebody who can relate - at least on a basic level - to those still healing from an unthinkable event.

"At times, it feels like it happened yesterday," Broncos vice president Randy MacLean said, pausing to collect his thoughts on the wreck that changed the course of so many lives, including his own. "At times, it feels like it happened many years ago."

Broncos president Kevin Garinger and MacLean combed through more than 60 applications for the GM-coach position. MacLean says the club ultimately extended an offer to Oystrick because it was clear the former Atlanta Thrasher "wants to be part of something bigger than hockey."

The hiring process was atypical for the Broncos after losing Haugan, the program's face inside and beyond the rink. The job itself is atypical, given the delicate situation. And Oystrick's story, though typical of a hockey lifer in some ways, is not so typical in others.

* * * * *

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

While growing up in a modest part of Regina, Oystrick and his neighbor Chris Lewgood spent virtually every hour of the day obsessing over the game.

They played hockey before school, practicing shooting in the basement. They daydreamed about hockey in the classroom. They played hockey with mini sticks during recess and lunch. They played hockey after school on the street, the pond, or the rink. They watched hockey on TV at night or played hockey video games.

Oystrick's childhood birthday gifts, presented in a shoebox, rarely changed from year to year: the latest edition of Don Cherry's "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em" series and spending money in the form of two-dollar bills.

When he was in Grade 5, along with his coveted VHS tape, his parents gave him something new: his adoption papers.

Oystrick remembers his parents telling him on several occasions that he'd been adopted. However, this was different. The documents laid out in no uncertain terms that his birth name was Jordan Robert and that he'd been the subject of a closed adoption when he was 2 months old.

The idea lived in the back of his mind from that day forward, but roughly 15 years passed before Oystrick connected with his biological mother. They met in 2009. His mom attended his wedding and is now a big part of his life, though he says he has no desire to contact his biological father.

"I'm happy I have this awesome story because a lot of people don't have a story like this," Oystrick said. "It's been really cool."

* * * * *

As Oystrick moves back to Saskatchewan after nearly 20 years away, Lewgood is already established there as manager and coach of the Estevan Bruins in the same league.

"There's a little more stress involved with running an SJHL program than playing Blades of Steel on Nintendo," Lewgood said, "but at the end of the day if you love what you're doing and you're passionate about it, it just happens."

Plenty of emotional and practical challenges face Oystrick in the early going. Training camp opens in late August. The Broncos will play two exhibition games in Haugan's hometown of Peace River, Alberta, over Labor Day weekend. Their regular-season home opener Sept. 12 will be broadcast nationally. The team's first road game is two days later. The Broncos still have staff openings for an assistant coach and an athletic therapist/equipment manager.

Meanwhile, thirteen crash survivors continue to recover. The record-breaking nearly $15 million in GoFundMe donations has yet to be distributed. The parents of one of the players killed in the crash recently sued the truck driver, bus company, and bus manufacturer. The truck driver, who wasn't hurt in the collision, has been charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

In short, this is a moving story, and there is no handbook.

"It's part of the process of redefining what the new normal looks like while ensuring that we're respecting the legacy," MacLean said of the various post-crash firsts. "Don't lose sight and lose thought of what happened, but at the same time, don't live in it."

Haugan was posthumously honored with the NHL's inaugural Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in June. Oystrick, Broncos brass, and those close to the action in Humboldt make it abundantly clear that the new coach is replacing Haugan in title only. Not only are the demands of the role different, but Oystrick doesn't have the same type of personality.

"They're completely opposite people on the surface," Lewgood said. "Darcy was very reserved, always well thought-out, and quiet in nature. Nathan is extremely emotional - very passionate and fiery. He speaks his mind at all times. From that standpoint, they're very different. The one thing that is the same in both of them is probably the most important element that you could have in junior hockey. It's their hearts."

* * * * *

A 2002 seventh-round pick whose EliteProspects.com profile lists him at 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds, Oystrick split his NHL tenure between the Atlanta Thrashers (53 games), Anaheim Ducks (three), and St. Louis Blues (nine). He also patrolled blue lines in the KHL, ECHL, and AHL. Former coaches and teammates describe him as a versatile "throwback" defender who blended skill with physicality. The crowning achievement of his playing career was winning the 2008 Calder Cup as a key member of the Chicago Wolves.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

He landed a player-coach role with the ECHL's Elmira Jackals in 2015-16, and then stepped behind the bench full time as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Gladiators for the '16-17 season.

Despite being four months older than Oystrick, Gladiators captain Derek Nesbitt has always looked up to him. "He's such a gamer," Nesbitt said. "The bigger the situation, the better he is. At all times. He just relishes that. ...

"You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't go to bat for Oystie. From knowing him on and off the ice, as a player and a person, he's just an easy guy to follow."

In the 2009-10 AHL season, Oystrick blocked a deflected point shot with his face. His broken jaw had to be wired shut for six weeks, and he lost 11 pounds.

"It actually pushed two of my teeth under my tongue and, in the training room, our team dentist took a scalpel and cut my two teeth out," Oystrick explained.

Then-Wolves goalie Peter Mannino had a front-row seat for the gory sequence.

"He’s a winner and he'll want these guys to win," Mannino said. "But he cares. He's the ultimate teammate and ultimate leader."

Through his relationships in hockey, Oystrick has also experienced loss.

Justin Kinnunen, a teammate and roommate of Oystrick's at Northern Michigan University, was struck and killed by an SUV in August 2016. The former AHLer was 35, the age Oystrick is now.

Seeing Kinnunen's parents at the funeral was particularly heart-wrenching for Oystrick, who broke down multiple times. "Losing a close, close friend was not easy," he said.

Oystrick added: "I think back to my playing career and some of the things that I went through and the ups and downs and adversity that I got through - not only on the ice but off the ice ... I learned a lot from all of those situations. It's nothing of this magnitude, but I thought that in some way I could help."

MacLean said, "He has lived a life. And with that comes experience and resiliency. He can sit there and have conversations and understand where kids are coming from, where parents and billets are coming from."

Last season, Oystrick took on a challenging assignment that turned out to be very relevant to his current role. As head of hockey with the Colorado Academy Mustangs, he was tasked with reviving a dormant program for high schoolers of varying skill levels.

(Photo courtesy: Colorado Academy)

"When I interview people for jobs, I don't have many of them show up with missing teeth," laughed Mike Davis, the academy's head of school. "He came in and within moments of my first meeting with Nathan it was so clear that he was a guy who had a successful career and now he wants to give back."

* * * * *

Only four names from the Broncos' organizational depth chart last year - two roster players and two affiliated players - are set to return. Oystrick's lineup card will largely be filled through June's SJHL draft and a flood of trades, and every acquisition is bittersweet.

"This is not like the Vegas Golden Knights. We're not an expansion franchise," MacLean said. "This is a situation where, when we hired Nathan, we had zero returning players cleared to play."

Humboldt will be "a team that plays a high-pressure game and who competes every single night, does all the small things well," Oystrick said. "It's a blank slate for everyone. I've never seen them play and they've never had me as a coach.

"Everyone's going into it with the same opportunity and a chance to keep building the organization and moving forward. I want to win. I'd love to win a championship in these three years. But we're starting off in rebuild mode."

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was raised in Humboldt and coached Oystrick in the AHL. He knows what he'd do if he were headed home to run the Broncos.

"The very first thing and the most important thing is that you have to go in there with the players' best interests as your No. 1 (priority)," Bednar said. "You have to protect them, shield them, help them focus on hockey and life and schooling, and try to move forward in a respectful way. …

"I think he can really help those kids and that organization get back on its feet."

* * * * *

Hockey lifers do plenty of moving. The 16-hour drive almost straight north for a new job was the kind of thing Oystrick and his wife are used to.

What unfolds from here is much less predictable.

"I don't know if you can totally prepare for September 12th," Oystrick said. "I can pretend to know what's going to happen, but until that day comes and it's the first game and the building's full, I just … have absolutely no idea."

Lewgood suggests his childhood friend will figure out how to handle it, saying, "He's one of these guys who doesn't think about what he's doing. It just comes to him naturally. He leads by example."

Oystrick also leads by the example of the person who preceded him. At his news conference, he promised to leave up the Broncos' core covenant that Haugan put on the wall outside the team's dressing room. It reads, in part: "Always give more than you take."

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Nathan Oystrick, a retired pro hockey player who skated in more than 500 games, shook behind the podium at Elgar Petersen Arena as he spoke about taking over for a local hero.

"I did not know Darcy Haugan, but, like so many people in this world today, I wish I had," Oystrick said during a news conference July 3, with Haugan's family sitting feet away.

Oystrick added, "I believe in his commitment to not just developing skilled hockey players but to developing great human beings. And I hope that I can make him proud while doing this job."

Haugan, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Humboldt Broncos, died April 6 in the bus crash that also killed 10 players, an assistant coach, an athletic therapist, a broadcaster, a statistician, and their driver.

The Broncos were en route to a playoff game when a semi-trailer truck collided with their bus near Armley, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the prairies.

"I've played in that league for half a year. I played in Humboldt, whether it was hockey or baseball. It definitely hit home," Oystrick, of Regina, told theScore later in July.

"A hockey team on a bus traveling on a road that we've all ridden on thousands and thousands of times in our lives - it definitely struck, hard."

Along with his wife, Lindsay, and their dog, Wiley, Oystrick left Highlands Ranch, Colo. - their home since 2011 - to settle this week in Humboldt, a farming town of fewer than 6,000 whose name now resonates across Canada and beyond.

The GM-coach role Oystrick has assumed is heavy - perhaps the heaviest such role in all of hockey right now. It's a job in sports that, at the same time, is not about sports at all.

The position's multi-layered responsibilities require investment, honesty, and compassion from a certain type of person: somebody who's not only triumphed but failed, too; somebody who can relate - at least on a basic level - to those still healing from an unthinkable event.

"At times, it feels like it happened yesterday," Broncos vice president Randy MacLean said, pausing to collect his thoughts on the wreck that changed the course of so many lives, including his own. "At times, it feels like it happened many years ago."

Broncos president Kevin Garinger and MacLean combed through more than 60 applications for the GM-coach position. MacLean says the club ultimately extended an offer to Oystrick because it was clear the former Atlanta Thrasher "wants to be part of something bigger than hockey."

The hiring process was atypical for the Broncos after losing Haugan, the program's face inside and beyond the rink. The job itself is atypical, given the delicate situation. And Oystrick's story, though typical of a hockey lifer in some ways, is not so typical in others.

* * * * *

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

While growing up in a modest part of Regina, Oystrick and his neighbor Chris Lewgood spent virtually every hour of the day obsessing over the game.

They played hockey before school, practicing shooting in the basement. They daydreamed about hockey in the classroom. They played hockey with mini sticks during recess and lunch. They played hockey after school on the street, the pond, or the rink. They watched hockey on TV at night or played hockey video games.

Oystrick's childhood birthday gifts, presented in a shoebox, rarely changed from year to year: the latest edition of Don Cherry's "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em" series and spending money in the form of two-dollar bills.

When he was in Grade 5, along with his coveted VHS tape, his parents gave him something new: his adoption papers.

Oystrick remembers his parents telling him on several occasions that he'd been adopted. However, this was different. The documents laid out in no uncertain terms that his birth name was Jordan Robert and that he'd been the subject of a closed adoption when he was 2 months old.

The idea lived in the back of his mind from that day forward, but roughly 15 years passed before Oystrick connected with his biological mother. They met in 2009. His mom attended his wedding and is now a big part of his life, though he says he has no desire to contact his biological father.

"I'm happy I have this awesome story because a lot of people don't have a story like this," Oystrick said. "It's been really cool."

* * * * *

As Oystrick moves back to Saskatchewan after nearly 20 years away, Lewgood is already established there as manager and coach of the Estevan Bruins in the same league.

"There's a little more stress involved with running an SJHL program than playing Blades of Steel on Nintendo," Lewgood said, "but at the end of the day if you love what you're doing and you're passionate about it, it just happens."

Plenty of emotional and practical challenges face Oystrick in the early going. Training camp opens in late August. The Broncos will play two exhibition games in Haugan's hometown of Peace River, Alberta, over Labor Day weekend. Their regular-season home opener Sept. 12 will be broadcast nationally. The team's first road game is two days later. The Broncos still have staff openings for an assistant coach and an athletic therapist/equipment manager.

Meanwhile, thirteen crash survivors continue to recover. The record-breaking nearly $15 million in GoFundMe donations has yet to be distributed. The parents of one of the players killed in the crash recently sued the truck driver, bus company, and bus manufacturer. The truck driver, who wasn't hurt in the collision, has been charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

In short, this is a moving story, and there is no handbook.

"It's part of the process of redefining what the new normal looks like while ensuring that we're respecting the legacy," MacLean said of the various post-crash firsts. "Don't lose sight and lose thought of what happened, but at the same time, don't live in it."

Haugan was posthumously honored with the NHL's inaugural Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in June. Oystrick, Broncos brass, and those close to the action in Humboldt make it abundantly clear that the new coach is replacing Haugan in title only. Not only are the demands of the role different, but Oystrick doesn't have the same type of personality.

"They're completely opposite people on the surface," Lewgood said. "Darcy was very reserved, always well thought-out, and quiet in nature. Nathan is extremely emotional - very passionate and fiery. He speaks his mind at all times. From that standpoint, they're very different. The one thing that is the same in both of them is probably the most important element that you could have in junior hockey. It's their hearts."

* * * * *

A 2002 seventh-round pick whose EliteProspects.com profile lists him at 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds, Oystrick split his NHL tenure between the Atlanta Thrashers (53 games), Anaheim Ducks (three), and St. Louis Blues (nine). He also patrolled blue lines in the KHL, ECHL, and AHL. Former coaches and teammates describe him as a versatile "throwback" defender who blended skill with physicality. The crowning achievement of his playing career was winning the 2008 Calder Cup as a key member of the Chicago Wolves.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

He landed a player-coach role with the ECHL's Elmira Jackals in 2015-16, and then stepped behind the bench full time as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Gladiators for the '16-17 season.

Despite being four months older than Oystrick, Gladiators captain Derek Nesbitt has always looked up to him. "He's such a gamer," Nesbitt said. "The bigger the situation, the better he is. At all times. He just relishes that. ...

"You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't go to bat for Oystie. From knowing him on and off the ice, as a player and a person, he's just an easy guy to follow."

In the 2009-10 AHL season, Oystrick blocked a deflected point shot with his face. His broken jaw had to be wired shut for six weeks, and he lost 11 pounds.

"It actually pushed two of my teeth under my tongue and, in the training room, our team dentist took a scalpel and cut my two teeth out," Oystrick explained.

Then-Wolves goalie Peter Mannino had a front-row seat for the gory sequence.

"He’s a winner and he'll want these guys to win," Mannino said. "But he cares. He's the ultimate teammate and ultimate leader."

Through his relationships in hockey, Oystrick has also experienced loss.

Justin Kinnunen, a teammate and roommate of Oystrick's at Northern Michigan University, was struck and killed by an SUV in August 2016. The former AHLer was 35, the age Oystrick is now.

Seeing Kinnunen's parents at the funeral was particularly heart-wrenching for Oystrick, who broke down multiple times. "Losing a close, close friend was not easy," he said.

Oystrick added: "I think back to my playing career and some of the things that I went through and the ups and downs and adversity that I got through - not only on the ice but off the ice ... I learned a lot from all of those situations. It's nothing of this magnitude, but I thought that in some way I could help."

MacLean said, "He has lived a life. And with that comes experience and resiliency. He can sit there and have conversations and understand where kids are coming from, where parents and billets are coming from."

Last season, Oystrick took on a challenging assignment that turned out to be very relevant to his current role. As head of hockey with the Colorado Academy Mustangs, he was tasked with reviving a dormant program for high schoolers of varying skill levels.

(Photo courtesy: Colorado Academy)

"When I interview people for jobs, I don't have many of them show up with missing teeth," laughed Mike Davis, the academy's head of school. "He came in and within moments of my first meeting with Nathan it was so clear that he was a guy who had a successful career and now he wants to give back."

* * * * *

Only four names from the Broncos' organizational depth chart last year - two roster players and two affiliated players - are set to return. Oystrick's lineup card will largely be filled through June's SJHL draft and a flood of trades, and every acquisition is bittersweet.

"This is not like the Vegas Golden Knights. We're not an expansion franchise," MacLean said. "This is a situation where, when we hired Nathan, we had zero returning players cleared to play."

Humboldt will be "a team that plays a high-pressure game and who competes every single night, does all the small things well," Oystrick said. "It's a blank slate for everyone. I've never seen them play and they've never had me as a coach.

"Everyone's going into it with the same opportunity and a chance to keep building the organization and moving forward. I want to win. I'd love to win a championship in these three years. But we're starting off in rebuild mode."

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was raised in Humboldt and coached Oystrick in the AHL. He knows what he'd do if he were headed home to run the Broncos.

"The very first thing and the most important thing is that you have to go in there with the players' best interests as your No. 1 (priority)," Bednar said. "You have to protect them, shield them, help them focus on hockey and life and schooling, and try to move forward in a respectful way. …

"I think he can really help those kids and that organization get back on its feet."

* * * * *

Hockey lifers do plenty of moving. The 16-hour drive almost straight north for a new job was the kind of thing Oystrick and his wife are used to.

What unfolds from here is much less predictable.

"I don't know if you can totally prepare for September 12th," Oystrick said. "I can pretend to know what's going to happen, but until that day comes and it's the first game and the building's full, I just … have absolutely no idea."

Lewgood suggests his childhood friend will figure out how to handle it, saying, "He's one of these guys who doesn't think about what he's doing. It just comes to him naturally. He leads by example."

Oystrick also leads by the example of the person who preceded him. At his news conference, he promised to leave up the Broncos' core covenant that Haugan put on the wall outside the team's dressing room. It reads, in part: "Always give more than you take."

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

OAKVILLE, Ont. — Taylor Hall finally got a taste. Now he wants the full course.

This spring, the eventual MVP winner and his 93 points dragged the New Jersey Devils into the NHL playoffs for the first time in five years. The experience lasted just five games, however, as the Devils were bounced by the Tampa Bay Lightning in unceremonious fashion.

Following seven playoff-free seasons with both the Edmonton Oilers and the Devils, Hall finds himself in unfamiliar territory. He's happy in red and black, but hungry for more.

"Definitely a successful season, but at the same time I watched playoff hockey for a month and a half before the Cup was handed out," Hall said Wednesday before teeing off at the NHLPA’s annual charity golf tournament. "We're a long way from where we want to be, but I think it was a great first step."

Despite the playoff berth, the Devils have been quiet this summer. General manager Ray Shero hasn’t acquired anybody of significance via free agency or trade; he also let a number of veteran players walk, with forwards Brian Gibbons (Anaheim), Michael Grabner (Arizona), and Patrick Maroon (St. Louis), as well as defenseman John Moore (Boston), all signing elsewhere.

"We’re going to have to find a way to make up for that," the 26-year-old said. "Those are guys that played key roles on our team, whether they were (picked up) at the trade deadline or just guys who came into (training) camp and surprised and made a huge difference for us."

Hall, whose 26-game point streak, career-high 39 goals, and 1.2 points per game helped him claim the 2018 Hart Trophy, laughed when he was asked about the potential of Shero using the club's salary cap space ($23 million in 2018-19) to add talent sooner than later.

"I just sit here like you guys …" he told a scrum of reporters. "I’d love to see us add a couple more pieces, but at the end of the day that’s not my job. My job’s to come into camp as healthy as possible, as committed as possible, and just worry about that."

While the Devils' depth chart remains unfilled, the team has Nico Hischier, the 2017 first-overall pick. Hall lauded the Swiss centre at the NHL awards, and heaped more praise onto him on Wednesday.

"If he was playing in Toronto, or a big market that would have a lot more spotlight, I think that he’d have a bigger name, a lot more recognition, certainly a lot more Calder votes than he had," Hall said of Hischier, who finished seventh in rookie-of-the-year voting.

"He had 50 points (52) as a centerman as an 18-year-old and, us playing on a line together, we played the top lines each and every night. I'm proud to be his teammate, I'm proud to be on a line with him, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the evolution of him, how he can improve next year."

The Devils vastly improved in 2017-18. Playing a speed game under coach John Hynes, they jumped from a winning percentage of .427 in 2016-17 to .591. It's an appetizing start, a jolt to the franchise's internal and external expectations.

"It's hard to get out of the basement. It's hard to get out of the basement and make the playoffs," Hall said, emphasizing the leap. "Now, I think the hardest step is going from making the playoffs to being a team that can challenge for the Cup. I'm really looking forward to trying to do that."

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The St. Louis Blues continue to stock up at the forward position.

According to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, unrestricted free agent Patrick Maroon and the Blues are expected to reach an agreement on a contract. No word yet on terms.

In the 2017-18 season, Maroon split his time between the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers, contributing a total of 17 goals and 26 assists in 74 games. The St. Louis native's production topped out the year prior, with 27 goals.

Blues GM Doug Armstrong has been a busy man over the past week. He signed UFAs Tyler Bozak and David Perron, and traded for Ryan O'Reilly in an effort to revamp his forward group.

Maroon, 30, was arguably the top UFA remaining on the market.

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The St. Louis Blues have avoided arbitration with 25-year-old forward Dmitrij Jaskin.

Jaskin signed a one-year, one-way deal worth $1.1 million to remain with the Blues, the team announced Saturday. St. Louis' 2011 second-rounder is getting a minor earnings bump, as his most recent contract paid him $1 million per season.

The Omsk, Russia, native put up 17 points in 76 games this past season, just shy of his career-high 18 from 2014-15. Since breaking into the NHL in 2013, the 6-foot-2, 216-pounder has been used almost exclusively at even strength.

Meanwhile, three of the Blues' restricted free agents - forwards Jordan Schmaltz and Petteri Lindbohm, as well as defenseman Joel Edmundson (who has arbitration rights) - are still unsigned.

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Lou Lamoriello insists this time will be different.

Having digested the blow of John Tavares jetting to the Toronto Maple Leafs via free agency, Lamoriello told Postmedia's Michael Traikos that the New York Islanders do not intend on living in the NHL's basement like his former club did a few years ago.

When Lamoriello and Leafs coach Mike Babcock joined forces in Toronto back in May 2015, they were blunt about the team's bleak short-term prospects, with Babcock famously warning fans about imminent "pain." You won't be hearing anything similar from Lamoriello or new Islanders coach Barry Trotz anytime soon, the general manager said Friday.

“There’s always pain when you miss the playoffs so many years in a row," Lamoriello said, referring to the old Leafs. "But I think where the Islanders are today are more progressed than where Toronto was at the given time. It's different.

“In saying that, we have to see. But no, I do not think it will end up the way the first year it ended up in Toronto. Mike (Babcock) and I went through (pain) for one full year in Toronto. I want to jumpstart that.”

Despite the Tavares setback, there is apparently no time like the present for the Mat Barzal-led Islanders. The club's transactions in the hours and days immediately following Tavares' decision, while criticized by some as knee-jerk reactions, certainly back up Lamoriello's "jumpstart" mindset.

The 75-year-old Lamoriello inked pest Leo Komarov to a four-year contract, signed veteran Valtteri Filppula to a one-year pact, picked up winger Tom Kuhnhackl on a one-year deal, traded for fighter Matt Martin (who has two years remaining on his contract), and brought in goalie Robin Lehner for a single season.

“You don’t look back," Lamoriello added. "You don’t complain. You just go forward.”

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God bless America ... for these hockey players.

Happy birthday, United States. Below is an ode to your influence on the great game of hockey: a list of the greatest NHL players by state. First, a few notes.

Due to a dearth of homegrown talent, the following 15 states did not make the cut: Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

For consistency's sake, players are sorted by birthplace according to the league's official website. Therefore, the odd player will seem out of place. For instance, Brett Hull (Belleville, Ont.) is excluded altogether from this exercise, and Arizona's Auston Matthews (San Ramon, Calif.) is elsewhere.

As for honorable mentions, we instituted a two-player limit. Exceptions were made for a handful of hockey-mad states, like Michigan and Minnesota, who received up to five mentions (Statistical info courtesy: QuantHockey.com and Hockey-Reference.com).

Alabama - Nic Dowd, F

Slim pickings in the deep south. Dowd, while an excellent college player in his day, has struggled to make a major impact in the NHL. A 2009 seventh-round pick out of St. Cloud State University, the Huntsville native has filled a depth forward spot for the Kings, previously, and Canucks, presently.

Honorable Mention: N/A

Alaska - Scott Gomez, F

Gomez, a playmaking center who topped out at 84 points, picked up plenty of hardware over a six-team playing career. The pride of Anchorage won a Calder Trophy (1999-00) and two Stanley Cups (2000, 2003). At his peak, Gomez was a star, tying for the league lead in assists in 2003-04 with 56 helpers.

Honorable Mention: D Matt Carle, F Brandon Dubinsky

Arizona - Sean Couturier, F

The desert has never been mistaken for a hockey hotbed, yet Couturier (raised in Quebec), Matthew Tkachuk (raised in St. Louis) and Matthews (born in California, raised in Arizona) represent legitimate NHLers with Arizona ties. Couturier, only 25 and the runner-up in Selke Trophy voting this spring, is a fringe star.

Honorable Mention: F Matthew Tkachuk

California - Auston Matthews, F

It's two years into his NHL career and already Matthews is the top Cali-born player. The five-tool center is dynamic and strong, he drives play and takes very few penalties, and has amassed 74 goals in fewer than 150 games. Matthews, 20, is among a few in contention for the Maple Leafs' captaincy.

Honorable Mention: D Lee Norwood, D Brooks Orpik, F Jason Zucker

Colorado - Ben Bishop, G

Slavin may finish with a better career, but right now Bishop is the home run pick. The netminder has been a model of consistency since settling into the NHL, stopping between 91 percent and 92.4 percent of shots in all six seasons he has appeared in at least 20 games. Amazingly, Bishop has dressed for five teams.

Honorable Mention: F Mike Eaves, D Jaccob Slavin

Connecticut - Jonathan Quick, G

For a place with a population below 4 million, the southern New England state has produced some quality talent. Quick takes the cake here, in large part because he's a winner. Two Stanley Cups and one Conn Smythe vaults him ahead of Drury and Janney, forwards with impressive resumes.

Honorable Mention: F Chris Drury, F Craig Janney, F Max Pacioretty, D Kevin Shattenkirk

District of Columbia - Jeff Halpern, F

Halpern and Kevyn Adams are the only notable NHLers born from the nation's capital. The former strung together a lengthier and more productive career. With stops in Washington, Dallas, Tampa, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, and Phoenix, Halpern made the rounds. He was a faceoff-winning bottom-six forward.

Honorable Mention: F Kevyn Adams

Florida - Shayne Gostisbehere, D

The man they call "the Ghost" is a byproduct of his surroundings, namely the nearby Panthers. Gostisbehere, 25, hails from Pembroke Pines, just down the highway from Sunrise. In 2017-18, he racked up 65 points for the Flyers to finish fourth in defenseman scoring. The sky is the limit for the power-play QB.

Honorable Mention: D Jakob Chychrun, F Dan Hinote

Georgia - Mark Mowers, F

Mowers, now a pro scout for the Sabres, enjoyed seven NHL seasons despite going undrafted out of the University of New Hampshire. The center was born in Decatur but grew up in New York. In the mid-2010s, as Mowers fell out of favor with NHL teams, he jumped to the top Swiss league.

Honorable Mention: N/A

Illinois - Chris Chelios, D

Underrated historically, Chelios is not only Illinois' claim to hockey fame but also one of the game's all-time defensemen. The ageless wonder finally retired at 48, riding off into the sunset with three Norris Trophies and three Stanley Cups. Chelios, an 11-time All-Star, offered a unique mix of grit and skill.

Honorable Mention: G Craig Anderson, F Ed Olczyk

Indiana - Jack Johnson, D

Johnson, of Indianapolis, is past his prime but has enjoyed a productive career as a minute-munching defenseman. He spent nearly five full seasons on the Kings, before being dealt to the Blue Jackets in 2012. Now locked up by the Penguins, Johnson can reset and, at 31, potentially get back on track.

Honorable Mention: F Donald Brashear, D John-Michael Liles

Iowa - Scott Clemmensen, G

Perhaps best known for being one of Martin Brodeur's backups, the Des Moines native was no All-Star. However, considering he was picked in the eighth round of the 1997 NHL Draft, Clemmensen sure made something out of nothing. In retirement, he develops goaltenders for the Devils.

Honorable Mention: N/A

Maine - Brian Dumoulin, D

The Pine Tree State is a toss-up. On one hand, blue-liner Dumoulin is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, yet a veteran of just 243 NHL games. On the other, Rick DiPietro, now an analyst, was a highly touted prospect and decent NHL goalie whose body of work is forever incomplete due to career-ending injuries.

Honorable Mention: G Rick DiPietro

Maryland - Jeff Brubaker, F

There isn't much meat on the bone in Maryland, with Jeff Halpern's birthplace listed as Washington, D.C. So, by default, Brubaker is the state's golden boy. The Frederick native had trouble finding steady NHL work, topping out at eight goals and four assists in 68 games for the Maple Leafs in 1984-85.

Honorable Mention: N/A

Massachusetts - Jeremy Roenick, F

Roenick is hands-down a top-10 American-born player. He edges out a great collection of players hailing from Massachusetts, thanks to a resume straddling the Hall of Fame line. J.R. produced three 100-point seasons and two 50-goal campaigns, and he never shied away from flaunting that magnetic personality.

Honorable Mention: F Tony Amonte, G Tom Barrasso, F Bobby Carpenter, F Bill Guerin, F Keith Tkachuk

Michigan - Mike Modano, F

Modano is arguably the greatest U.S.-born player to skate in the NHL. One of his closest competitors, Brett Hull, was born in Canada, while Brian Leetch and Chris Chelios don't seem to carry the same clout. Modano holds the nation's record for goals and points, and he has a Stanley Cup ring.

Honorable Mention: D Mark Howe, F Ryan Kesler, G Ryan Miller, G Tim Thomas, F Doug Weight

Minnesota - Phil Housley, D

Fourth all-time in points by a defenseman, Housley was a treat to watch for 20 years. His effortless skating, crafty passing, and ability to run a power play was a deadly combination. In 1992-93, the State of Hockey's best nearly hit triple digits - a rare feat for a blue-liner - but settled for 97 points in 80 games.

Honorable Mention: G Frank Brimsek, F Neal Broten, F Dave Christian, F Jamie Langenbrunner

Missouri - Pat LaFontaine, F

Call him Mr. Missouri. Among those born in the Midwest state, LaFontaine is in another realm. The Hall of Fame center racked up a ridiculous 148 points in 1992-93, his second of two triple-digit seasons. He made five All-Star teams and holds the 15th-highest points per game in NHL history.

Honorable Mention: F Patrick Maroon, F Paul Ranheim

Nebraska - Jed Ortmeyer, F

A member of the Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame, Ortmeyer is as good as it gets in Nebraska. He averaged 11 minutes per night over eight seasons. The right-handed forward dressed for the Rangers, Predators, Sharks, and Wild. Nowadays, he is employed by the Rangers in a player development capacity.

Honorable Mention: N/A

New Hampshire - Deron Quint, D

Drafted by the original Jets, Quint never made a major impact on the NHL. The left-handed blue-liner from Durham was by no means a point producer, with seasonal career highs of seven goals and 18 assists. Quint, now 42, was traded twice in 2000 and played for five clubs.

Honorable Mention: D Mark Fayne, D Ben Lovejoy

New Jersey - Johnny Gaudreau, F

Gaudreau, the 5-foot-9, 157-pound perennial scoring threat, is just revving up, whereas Bobby Ryan and James van Riemsdyk have probably hit their respective ceilings. Johnny Hockey, who bagged 24 goals and 60 assists this past season, should be contending for Art Ross and Lady Byng honors over the next decade.

Honorable Mention: F Bobby Ryan, F James van Riemsdyk

New York - Joe Mullen, F

Hall of Famer Mullen is a slam dunk here, even though Kane is arguably the best active American. A point-per-game player for his career, Mullen won three Stanley Cups in four years (1989 with the Flames; 1991, 1992 with the Penguins). He picked up two Lady Byngs and recorded 110 points in 1988-89.

Honorable Mention: F Dustin Brown, F Brian Gionta, F Patrick Kane, D Mathieu Schneider

North Carolina - Jared Boll, F

Boll, who hails from Charlotte, went 101st overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. Since, he has carved out a decent career as a big-bodied, throwback right winger. He's hanging on as the league drifts toward speed and skill. As of this writing, Boll is an unrestricted free agent following two years with the Ducks.

Honorable Mention: F Ben Smith

North Dakota - Paul Gaustad, F

Size and faceoffs - that was Gaustad in three words. With a 6-foot-5, 227-pound frame and a knack for winning more draws than basically the whole league, he was a valuable role player. Now retired, Gaustad's body of work can be fairly compared to Tim Jackman's career. And it's Gaustad by a mile.

Honorable Mention: F Tim Jackman

Ohio - Bryan Smolinski, F

A handy player for 14-plus seasons, Smolinski's career can be summed up in a word: solid. The Toledo native scored the odd timely goal, pitched in on the power play, and was a mainstay on penalty-killing units across the NHL. All told, the 6-foot-1, 203-pounder dressed for eight teams.

Honorable Mention: D Dave Ellett, F Curt Fraser, D Moe Mantha

Oklahoma - Tyler Arnason, F

This is basically a tie, with the advantage going to Arnason for (as of now) boasting a fuller resume than John Merrill. The left-handed center had a career year with the Blackhawks in 2002-03, contributing 22 goals and 33 assists in 82 games. Merrill, picked by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft, is just 26.

Honorable Mention: D Jon Merrill

Oregon - Jere Gillis, F

It has been a long time since Oregon produced an NHLer. In fact, Gillis, who played from 1977 to 1986, is the only local to even flirt with the 200-game mark. The Bend native suited up for the Canucks, Rangers, Nordiques, Sabres, Canucks, and, for one game, the Flyers.

Honorable Mention: F Scott Levins

Pennsylvania - Mike Richter, G

Richter is America's most famous goaltender. Helping his case for Pennsylvania's best is a Stanley Cup, three All-Star selections and a career spent under the spotlight. Richter, who had his down years with the Rangers, ranks 33rd on the all-time wins list. John Gibson might eventually snatch his crown.

Honorable Mention: G John Gibson, F Ryan Malone, F Vincent Trocheck, F R.J. Umberger

Rhode Island - Bryan Berard, D

Hailing from a place called Woonsocket, Berard burst onto the scene as the first overall pick and 1996-97 Calder Trophy winner. Unfortunately, his career was derailed by a gruesome eye injury. He missed the entire 2000-01 season and, though he didn't retire until years later, was never the same player.

Honorable Mention: G Brian Boucher, D Keith Carney

South Carolina - Ryan Hartman, F

Hartman, born on Hilton Head Island, is a work in progress. The 23-year-old's underlying numbers are nice but the counting stats haven't caught up. After going 30th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft, Hartman has split two-and-a-half seasons between the Blackhawks (past) and Predators (current).

Honorable Mention: N/A

Texas - Brian Leetch, D

Texas: Land of defensemen - apparently. All three of the state's NHLers are quality blue-liners. Unequivocally, it's Leetch who holds serve. He won four individual awards (Calder, Norris, Conn Smythe, Norris) despite competing against Nicklas Lidstrom. Plus: 11 All-Star nods and a Stanley Cup.

Honorable Mention: D Seth Jones, D Tyler Myers

Utah - Steve Konowalchuk, F

Not the sexiest name in NHL history, but the Salt Lake City native built a decent career. Konowalchuk, recently fired by the Ducks as a coach, collected 40 or more points five times during his playing career. The left winger had his moments, registering a pair of hat tricks with the Capitals in 1995-96.

Honorable Mention: F Trevor Lewis

Vermont - John LeClair, F

Standing alone atop the Vermont hockey mountain is one of the most dominant power forwards of his generation. LeClair, at 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, was a beast in his prime, bagging 50 goals in back-to-back-to-back seasons. And he followed up those three golden years with campaigns of 43 and 40 goals.

Honorable Mention: N/A

Virginia - Eric Weinrich, D

Talk about longevity. Weinrich survived six NHL trades, stretching out his stay on the blue line to nearly 1,200 games. He provided teams with stability and durability. Scott Darling (longtime minor leaguer) and Scott Lachance (Olympian) are nice stories, but not quite at Weinrich's impact level.

Honorable Mention: G Scott Darling, D Scott Lachance

Washington - T.J. Oshie, F

It's safe to say Oshie is a 50-point guy. The pride of Everett has been within striking distance of, hit, or surpassed 50 in the seven campaigns he has dressed for at least 60 games. Tyler Johnson (two 50-point seasons and a 70-pointer) is right there with him. Tie goes to Stanley Cup champion Oshie.

Honorable Mention: F Patrick Dwyer, F Tyler Johnson

Wisconsin - Gary Suter, D

Gary Suter leads an excellent group of Wisconsinites. A quick career synopsis: Ryan's uncle went in the ninth round of the 1984 NHL Draft, picked up the Calder Trophy in 1985-86, recorded 91 points in his third season, helped lead the Flames to a Stanley Cup in his fourth, and then played 13 more.

Honorable Mention: F Phil Kessel, F Joe Pavelski, F Drew Stafford, D Ryan Suter

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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